Read, sing, play with The Brothers Foot

The Brothers Foot: A Hare Raising Story written by Steve Cormey, illustrated by Ronda Eden; published by AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana; 2009.

Three brothers frolic wildly as rabbits will do. But unlike most rabbits, these boys named Foot, Foot-Foot, and Foot-Foot-Foot also like to sing and dance. One day, three hunters carrying guns spot the trio. The Brothers Foot are so entertaining, the hunters drop their guns and joined in the fun. And they all live happily ever after.

As a read-aloud, the rhythm of this book is a natural. Cormey adapted the story from an old children’s song. “The Foot Foot Song” was penned by Sid DeMay, Lee Tully and Sid Bass; the silly names, short storyline, and catchy rhythm make the song perfect for a picture book adaptation. Eden’s illustrations express the joy the Brothers Foot get from singing and dancing; I couldn’t help feeling like tapping my feet just looking at them!

Along with the picture book, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a CD of the song and a DVD. The CD was helpful as the story encourages singing along with the brothers but I am not familiar with the tune. The DVD is a nice production that incorporates joyful background music, illustrations from the book, and a singer singing the song at the appropriate moments to assist the narrator as he tells the story. Including the CD and DVD makes this a complete package that public, school and home libraries should include!

All that being said, I have to say that the timing for reviewing this book could not have been better. I recently participated in some early literacy webinars and have more early literacy training coming up this summer. One thing I’ve learned is just how important singing and playing are in developing early literacy skills in youngsters from birth to about age 5. We all know that we should read to our kids, but singing and playing are key components to learning the skills necessary to be readers later in life. The playfulness of this story encourages caregivers to get up and dance and sing along with the littlest listeners. The illustrations and the story are open to caregivers asking questions of their listeners. Again, I am happy to see this complete package being offered and encourage its use in developing early literacy skills (at library story times and at home).

Thank you for this thoughtful review especially emphasizing the importance of song and dance. After all it proved to be a matter of life and death for the brothers!
Ronda Eden Illustrator, The Brothers Foot

a librarian's library of plans & resources for storytimes, programs & readers' advisory Disclaimers: Per the FTC regulations, please note that sometimes books are received for review for free by publishers or authors. All books (ARCs, galleys, library or purchased) will be reviewed fairly; no special consideration is given to anything reviewed on this blog. In addition, I make every attempt to avoid spoilers. Sometimes they happen inadvertently or because they are important to defend a review; not all spoilers have been removed or fixed. This disclaimer is a general statement included as a warning to readers.

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